Northern Lights

I promised to write a separate blog post on the Northern Lights.

The Lights were a key reason why people came to Norway in February when it's cold and dark and their relatives opt for a break on Maledives. We were even given a hat by Hurtigruten that says "Hunting the Lights". Nice hat. The message may get a different meaning on a ski slope in the French Alps.

What are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon caused by electrically charged solar particles ("the solar wind") high in energy, entering the Earth's atmosphere. They usually occur in the area around the Arctic Circle. They are not visible when it's clouded.

The lights are usually yellow-green but can also be red-ish and purple. Needless to say that you see the colour better when you photograph the light (because of the longer exposure). The colours usually form a bow from east to west. The formations can appear at any moment, there is no way to predict when they do appear.

There is a Northern Lights observatory in Tromsø. It was built in 1928, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation.

How to photograph the Northern Lights

It is ideal if you catch the Lights whilst on land (as opposed to a moving ship) as you'll need a tripod and a long exposure. We were not lucky in this respect.

General settings for a digital camera:
Flash: off
ISO: 400, 800 or 1600 (the darker the sky, the higher ISO you need)
White balance: daylight setting (although I got better results with the fluorescent light setting)
Shutter speed: 10 - 30''
Focus: manual focus set to infinity (I personally struggled here, it's good to have something in focus in the photo and it's hard to focus when it's dark)
Aperture: lowest possible
Self timer: Set to 2'' (if you don't have a remote control like I don't)
LCD: low brightness
Lens: wide angle - below 35mm (I don't have a wide angle lens so used just a basic 18-55mm)
!! REMOVE ALL FILTERS including a polarizer and a UV filter from your lens.

Be patient. The lights can last for any period of time - from seconds to hours. They often change their intensity and appearance.

DON'T FORGET TO EXPERIENCE THEM WITH YOUR EYES AND HEART BEFORE YOU LOOK AT THEM THROUGH THE CAMERA VIEW FINDER.

Our photos from a shaking boat. Looks like an UFO is landing.

This is one taken by our co-tourist who went on the scooter trip and saw the lights from the land (© Ian Thorn)

Mar 3, 2010

Canon EOS 450D

ISO: 800
Exposure: 20.0 sec
Aperture: 5.0
Focal Length: 18mm
Flash Used: No